Rich Investors Are Planning To Keep The Kings In Sacramento

Seattle Fans might want to settle their ruffles, some pretty rich investors might be putting a halt to your new NBA team.

According to The Sacramento Bee, Billionaire Ron Burkle and Bay Area investor Mark Mastrov are in serious discussions to keep the Sacramento Kings right where they are, not only are they wanting to buy the team, they duo also plan to partner with the city to help finance a new downtown sports arena.

An inside source close to the negotiations says Burkle and Mastrov are regarded as a “dream team” counter offer to the team that agreed to buy the team this week. Burkle, who owns the the NHL Pittsburgh Penguins, has been mentioned by David Stern as a potential suitor of the Kings. Mastrov, who is the founder of 24hr fitness chain also made an unsuccessful bid to buy the Golden State Warriors in 2010.

From NBA.com, Sacramento Mayor Kevin Johnson has a message for Seattle:

“Don’t celebrate too early,”

“We’ve been here before,” Johnson said. “Our backs have been against the wall. They told us it wasn’t going to happen. But each and every step along the way, as long as there is time on the clock, our community always finds a way to stand up for itself.”

“I just say to the fans in Seattle: be cautiously optimistic. Be smart. But this isn’t about our city against their city, or one mayor against another mayor,” Johnson said. “We have something that’s ours and we want to keep it, and we’re going to do everything we can to make Sacramento the final resting place of the Sacramento Kings.”

“When I played in the NBA for 12 years, Seattle had some of the best fans in the NBA,” Johnson said. “No different than Sacramento. Incredible fans. And when they lost their team a couple years ago, it was devastating to me, because those fans fought like crazy and rallied and they cheered on the home team. And I strongly believe they deserve an NBA team at some point. Just not ours.”

Get ready for a showdown, either its going to be the war of money between Seattle and Sacramento or Commissioner David Stern is going to have to introduce the 31st NBA team.

1 COMMENT

As a former 25+ year Sonics, I hope a deal is worked out where the King’s stay where they belong…in Sacramento. I know how it feels to lose your team, & the hell if I want that to happen to another city on Seattle’s behalf. Going out & victimizing some other city’s NBA fans isn’t going to bring the Sonics back to Seattle (unless of course that city is OKC)